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German Blitzkrieg
The German Blitzkrieg was a war strategy designed to lower the losses of soldiers and artillery endured by the attacking force by concentrating firepower on one area of an enemy force instead of the enemy force as a whole. It also used maneuverable forces like tanks and planes for speed and strength. Nazi Germany used this in the early years of World War II, they swept through Poland, Norway, Belgium, Holland and France very quickly.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/blitzkrieg -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was Germany's plan to conquer the Soviet Union and allow it to fight a war with only one front. But, by Germany betraying no-aggression pact, the Soviet Union was free to fight back. A series of defensive attacks by the Soviets and bad weather caused Germany to have to retreat. The operation failed, and left Germany fighting a two-front war once again.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/operation-barbarossa -
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor was an attack executed by the Japanese to the American Naval base of Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii. Hundreds of Japanese fighter planes descended onto the fleet destroying or damaging 20 naval vessels, including 8 battleships, and 300+ airplanes. More than 2,400 Americans died in the attack and another 1,000 people were wounded. The day after the assault, America declared war on Japan, leading to their entry in WWII.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was a clash between the U.S. Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy that happened 6 months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Japan had been island hopping, hoping to control the Pacific and neutralize the U.S. Navy, but the U.S. stopped them using the same strategy. The U.S. won several air-sea battles and defended the major base located at Midway Island. The battle turned the tide of World War II in the Pacific.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-midway -
Wannsee Conference
15 high-ranking Nazi Party and German government officials gathered in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee to discuss and coordinate the implementation of what they called the "Final Solution of the Jewish Question." The officials in this meeting were already aware of the Jewish genocide occuring, so they planned how to do it more efficiently. They came up with the idea of concentration, labor, and death camps.
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/wannsee-conference-and-the-final-solution -
Bataan Death March
After the April 9, 1942 U.S. surrender of the Bataan Peninsula to the Japanese during World War II, around 75,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to make an arduous 65-mile march to prison camps. The marchers were forced to walk in the intense heat and were subjected to harsh treatment by Japanese guards. Thousands perished in what became known as the Bataan Death March.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bataan-death-march -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
In response to deportations in the Warsaw Ghetto, the Jewish underground created an armed self-defence unit. The Uprising began after German troops and police entered the ghetto in response to an order of liquidation, to deport its able-bodied citizens to work camps and kill the rest. The Jewish resistance rose up, pushing out the Germans. By May 16, 1943, the Germans had crushed the uprising and left the ghetto in ruins.
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/warsaw-ghetto-uprising -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
Codenamed Operation Overlord by the Allies, some 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region, near the English channel. It resulted in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany’s control. It was one of the largest military assaults in history. The Normandy landings have been called the beginning of the end of war in Europe.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day -
Dropping of the atomic bombs
Bomb #1 was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The explosion wiped out 90% of the city and killed 80,000 people. 3 days later, bomb #2 was dropped on Nagasaki, killing around 40,000 people. Japan’s Emperor, Hirohito surrendered via a radio address, citing the devastating power of “a new and most cruel bomb.” These bombings served the purpose of bringing WWII, and the fight against Japan to a swift end.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bombing-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima was a military campaign between U.S. Marines and the Imperial Army of Japan. Iwo Jima had three airfields that could serve as a way for the Allies to invade mainland Japan if the need arose. The Battle of Iwo Jima lasted 5 weeks. It was some of the bloodiest fighting of World War II, and it’s believed that 21,000 Japanese forces and almost 7,000 Marines were killed in the 5 week battle.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes region of Belgium was Adolf Hitler’s last major offensive against the Western Front in WWII. Hitler’s aim was to split the Allies in their drive toward Germany. The German troops’ failure to divide Britain, France and America with the Ardennes offensive paved the way for the Allies' victory. The appearance of the Allied line as a large bulge to the Germans gave the battle its name.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-the-bulge -
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa was the last major battle of World War II, and one of the bloodiest. The Navy’s Fifth Fleet and more than 180,000 U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps troops descended on the Pacific island of Okinawa for a final push towards Japan. Though the battle ended with Allied victory, kamikaze fighters, rainy weather and fierce fighting on land, sea, and air led to a large death toll on both sides.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-okinawa -
Liberation of concentration camps
As the Allied forces liberated Europe, they came across German concentration camps filled with sick and dying prisoners. Many prisoners who survived the camps were forced on death marches by their Nazi captors as an attempt to cover up the atrocities they committed. The allies freed the prisoners in the camps they came across and gave them food, water, and clothes. They helped these prisoners survive after the camp.
https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/liberation-of-the-concentration-camps -
VE Day
May 8, 1945, VE or Victory in Europe day, is the day when Germany finally surrendered to the allies. It marked an end of the Nazi war machine. POWs were returned, and arms were laid down. It was the end of the war being fought in Europe, the war against Germany.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/victory-in-europe -
VJ Day
VJ day or Victory over Japan day, marked the end of WWII. Japan finally surrendered after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This surrender, coming months after the surrender of Germany, put an end to the bloodiest war in human history.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/v-j-day
